SOLHEIM CUP COUNTDOWN
Georgia Hall believes local knowledge can help Europe in their bid to reclaim next month’s Solheim Cup on Scottish soil.
While the 23- year- old hails from south of the Border, Hall teamed up with fellow Englishwoman, Dame Laura Davies, at the inaugural European Golf Team Championships at Gleneagles a year ago. Over The PGA Centenary Course – next month’s Solheim Cup venue – the duo dove- tailed for three Great Britain group victories over Spain, Germany and Belgium respectively, before bowing out at the semi-final stage with a narrow defeat to Sweden.
The pair return to the course from September 13-15 – Hall as a player and Davies as a vice- captain – as Europe look to upset the odds and win the Cup against the USA for the first time since 2013.
“Last year was the first time I had played The PGA Centenar y,” said Bour nemouth’s Major champion Hall.
“The course is great. It’s quite wide and very long as well. The greens are in really good condition.
“I think the weather will give us an advantage, definitely cold and maybe some wind and rain. So we will come prepared. There are some great match-play holes out there, especially the par-5 last, so we’ve got to know the course as well as we can.”
Hall landed her first Major title at last summer’s Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, emulating the 2009 winner – Solheim Cup captain, Scot Catriona Matthew.
While the last 12 months have proved challenging, she believes her form is peaking for Perthshire.
She said: “I think any time you win a Major for the first time, there are more expectations, but I’ve had a good year. I didn’t start that great but the last few events have been much better. I’m playing pretty well so, hopefully, the form continues.
“I believe we’ve got a very strong team for Gleneagles. I don’t think there is one weak player and we have different personalities so we can mix and match the pairings. which is great. We’re very confident going into it.”
Hall made her debut in the biggest team event in women’s golf two years ago, impressing by claiming two points despite the 16.5-11.5 defeat at Des Moines in the States.
“I love playing in teams,” admitted Hall.
“It’s very rare you do that as golf is such an individual sport. I’ll take the confidence from last time into this Solheim Cup. I just really love match play. It’s my favourite format, so I again look forward to it. “The Solheim Cup is also a great way to inspire the next generation, with hopefully lots of young girls and boys watching at Gleneagles.
“It’s fun as well, as children get to see different things, like what we are wearing with our team outfits, which helps them follow the matches easily.”